AgritourismWorld website joins Group Travel Family

Agritourism has been growing in popularity among tour planners in recent years, and now there is a site dedicated to helping the group travel planner find farms, markets and destinations that are tourism-friendly. AgritourismWorld is an online directory that lists more than 1,000 agritourism-related destinations and that encourages tourists to visit the countryside.

AgritourismWorld recently joined The Group Travel Family, along with the BankTravel Conference, Going On Faith Conference, Boomers in Groups, the African American Travel Conference and Group Leaders of America. The addition of agritourism to the organization will integrate farm-related tourism into the group travel industry by creating an awareness of the market to more than 12,500 leaders of travel clubs and groups.

“We openly welcome AgritourismWorld to the group travel industry,” said Charlie Presley, founder of The Group Travel Family. “Agritourism is a valued part of every group’s travel plans, and this site makes it easy to visit a farm, market, bed-and-breakfast or one of over 1,000 destinations.”

At the AgritourismWorld site, a group can search for farms that cater to tourists by state or product. The site allows visitors to find farms that specialize in everything from honey production to alpaca farming. Once group leaders locate farms or destinations of interest, they can click on the farms’ websites to find travel details, ask questions of the owners or schedule group visits.

AgritourismWorld is already the top Google site under the search word “agritourism,” and Presley has plans to increase the reach of the site.

“We have over 1,000 farms listed today, and we will double that by year’s end,” he said.

In addition, the site will target international as well as domestic agritourism destinations. There are more than 100 international listings to date.

The wide range of interests the site offers is a true tourism value. Visitors can find information on destinations from Hardy’s Reindeer Ranch in Illinois to Biship’s Pumpkin Farm in California, Ten Horse Farm in Georgia and Vashon Farmers Market in Washington. The site will help travel planners find more than 75 interests: Listings include seasons, events, animals, food and beverages, gardens and plants, markets, overnight stays and unusual features, such as corn mazes.

Farms and agritourism destinations that are interested in a free listing may visit the site and submit their venue. Groups can go to www.agritourismworld.com and plan a tour year-round.